neon’s collections program: developing a collaborative network of museums and a resource in...
TRANSCRIPT
NEON’S COLLECTIONS PROGRAM: DEVELOPING A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK OF MUSEUMS AND A RESOURCE IN SUPPORT OF BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH.
Michael W. Denslow
Assistant Director for Scientific Research Collections
TDWG 2013
Empowering International e-Collaboration for Sustainability
The National Ecological Observatory Network is a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed under cooperative agreement by NEON Inc.
WHAT IS NEON?
Causes of ChangeClimate
Land UseInvasive Species
Response to ChangeBiodiversity
BiogeochemistryEcohydrology
Infectious Disease
AP Photos/John Wark
1. What are the impacts of climate change on continental scale ecology?
2. What are the impacts of land use change on continental-scale ecology?
3. What are the impacts of invasive species on continental-scale ecology?
4. What are the interactive effects of climate, land use change and invasives on continental-scale ecology?
5. How does transportation and mobility of energy, matter and organisms affect continental-scale ecology?
Grand Challenge Questions
Current Status
• Active Sites
• Harvard Forest, MA
• Disney Wilderness Preserve, FL
• Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, FL
• North Sterling, CO
• Central Plains Experimental Range, CO
Science Designs
Fall-Winter 2013-2014
Official Release
Science Designs 3.0
Summer 2013
Internal & NSF review
Science Designs 2.0
Fall 2012
Technical Working Groups
Science Designs 1.0
2010
Tiger teams &
Community workshops
Initial design
• Requirements
Systems Engineering
• TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network)
• Memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration and interoperability
• Science requirements
• Sampling protocols
• Data products
• Education programs
• Project management
• COOPEUS
• Bringing together NEON, LifeWATCH, ICOS, …
International Collaboration
NEON COLLECTIONS
Aquatic• Algae
• Macrophytes
• Bryophytes
• Microbes
• Zooplankton
• Invertebrates
• Fish
Terrestrial• Ground beetles
• Mosquitoes
• Ticks
• Small mammals
• Soil microorganisms
• Plants
Non-organismal• Soil
• Wet Deposition
• Dust
Mammal Collections
• Small mammals
• Whole
• Hair/whiskers
• Ear punch
• Feces
• Blood
• Research uses
• Taxonomy/Systematics
• Infectious disease
• Population Genetics
• Endocrinology
• Isotopic Analysis
Approach – Work with Existing Collections
• Benefits to NEON
• Greater efficiency afforded by using existing infrastructure
• Fostering collaborations with external community
• Expertise
• Benefits to collections:
• National exposure and promotion of collections
• Value of collections institutions tends to increase with holdings
• Financial support for museum costs
*** Early stages of development ***
• NEON collected specimens
• Add additional value to human observations (vouchers)
• Research resource for community use • Wide range of community uses
• Resource for future analysis
• Use with NEON data products
• Example: Evolutionary Ecology
Community Resource
STANDARDS AT NEON
• Challenges
• Identify Standards
• Internal / External
• Use of terms
• Cross disciplines
• Geospatial, specimens, genomics, multimedia, …
• TDWG
• Interest Groups
• Documentation
• Development of new standards
Standards
Soil & Aquatic Microbes
• AbundanceCell countsqpcr
• ActivitymRNA
• Diversity16S rDNAITS rDNA
• MetagenomicsDNA metagonome
• Community useLink to place and
timeOther Data
Products
• Working within the scope of NEON project
• Identify specific challenges
• Multidisciplinary teams and issues
• Resources
• Community workshops
• Technical effort
• Standards / best practice development
• Education / outreach activities
• Challenges of sustainability
NEON / TDWG Collaboration
THANK YOU
@mwdenslow
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The National Ecological Observatory Network is a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed under cooperative agreement by NEON Inc.